Chapter 4: Shadows of Deception

The atmosphere within Pyrite Town that morning was a quiet one. No one had started up a rowdy battle in Duel Square yet, and there hadn't been anyone accosted by thieves or thugs either.

A rare moment of peace, indeed.

Just what Johnson liked.

Johnson, apart from the police chief, Sherles, was the only police officer in Pyrite Town, which explained in part why there was so much crime in the city. Not so much that the police force was severely undermanned, but more because Johnson wasn't a very good officer.

He was dedicated; no doubt about that. Everyday was spent duteously patrolling the entire city for criminals. But not much came of it. Johnson had good intentions, but he was extremely easy to dupe, a characteristic that everyone in Pyrite milked for all it was worth.

Poor, poor Johnson…

At this particular moment in time, Johnson was pacing back and forth in front of the police station, trying to look as important as possible to anyone watching. Considering the only person who was watching was Cail Anderson, the resident tough guy of Pyrite…

No one thought he was very important.

"What a loser," Cail groaned, turning his eyes upward in exasperation. "Actually thinks people are afraid of him? What a moron… I've seen 5-year old kids less naïve than he is." The green-haired rogue turned away from the sorry sight, gazing far out to the desert. Since it wasn't quite yet noon, the sands weren't blinding to look at yet, allowing Cail to see in the distance the beginnings of the mystery tower being built in the middle of the desert. They had only just completed the framework, but it was already quite clear that it would soon be an impressive tower.

And then… Cail saw it.

It started out as an orange blur, way off near the horizon, but it got bigger with every passing second. It had to be moving at least 60 miles an hour, the way it was going. As it got closer, Cail realized that the orange blur was actually a Pokémon; an Arcanine, to be exact. And this Arcanine had someone on its back as well. Cail couldn't really see who, as Arcanine's head was in the way, but it appeared to be a man.

At least… he was fairly sure it was. It could be a girl, too. What with that reeeeealy long aqua-green ponytail billowing behind… Cail had never heard tell of a guy who would wear his hair that long.

In a matter of moments, the mystery rider arrived at the entrance to Pyrite Town, and skillfully flipped off the back of his Arcanine. Cail's first hunches were right; it was a guy about his age, with long aqua-green hair and stunning azure eyes that gleamed in the sunlight. What really got Cail, however, was the sword case hanging off the young man's left hip from his belt. He had never seen anyone with a sword before. That, and that huge scar, running nearly three inches long underneath his left eye…

"Thank you much, Arcanine," the young man spoke quietly, taking a Pokéball from his belt and recalling the large Fire-type into it. As he returned the Pokéball to his belt, he happened to look up, and met Cail's curious stare.

"Hello," he intoned politely, with a cheery smile.

Cail nodded slightly to acknowledge him. "Hey."

"This is Pyrite Town, is it not?"

"That's right."

The young man smiled. "Good. So I did remember where it was after all… Tell me, my friend, do you know of…" He paused for a moment, and then finished, "…a good place to socialize around here?"

Cail laughed out loud. "Socialize? In Pyrite Town? Hell, the only socializing around here is with a good Pokémon battle. Maybe if you beat me, I'll tell you all of Pyrite's hotspots, how's that sound?"

"A battle? Certainly."

"Hey!" a shout came, interrupting the two. "Cail! Don't harass a stranger!" Johnson came dashing up to them in an instant; first frowning at Cail, and then turning to the newcomer. "Sorry about that. Was he bothering you?"

"Not at all, officer. He was just challenging me to a friendly Pokémon battle, and I just accepted. Nothing to worry yourself over."

Johnson nodded, still trying to appear stiff and tall. "Just making sure. By the way, name's Officer Johnson. I keep the peace here in Pyrite. If you need any help, just ask!" With a sharp salute, Johnson whirled around and marched back duteously to the police station.

As soon as Johnson was gone, the stranger gave Cail a questioning gaze. "Keeps the peace here in Pyrite?" he asked.

Cail smirked. "Yeah. And does a poor job of it, besides. What a buffoon," he scoffed. "So… we still battling?"

"Certainly. State your rules."

"Two-on-two, four Pokémon a side. First to knock out all the opponent's Pokémon wins. How's that?"

"It's perfectly fine with me. So… you are…?"

"Name's Cail, the best trainer in Pyrite. And you?"

The handsome young stranger smiled as he selected two Pokéballs from his belt, a smile that would have made any girls watching swoon. "You may call me Alexander."

Wes wasn't a very talkative person, to be sure, but he was starting to find that the more Rui talked, the more he began to like her. He couldn't help it. Her personality was contagious.

All through Wes's second breakfast, Rui went on and on about many different subjects, with hardly a pause in between. She talked about her kidnapping a little, then about Espeon and Umbreon, leading to things she knew about Pokémon in general, her favorite kinds of Pokémon, and now the Pokémon she owned back home.

"…Mightyena is a really good guard dog, but he's such a softie," Rui was saying. "And he gets along pretty well with Delcatty, if you can believe that. Sounds weird, doesn't it?" She giggled at herself. "A dog Pokémon getting along really well with a cat."

Wes nodded, although he hadn't thought that strange at all. There were stranger things in the world, after all. "So…" he continued thoughtfully, looking out the window at the beautiful fountain in the center of Phenac City. "Are those all the Pokémon you own?"

"No, we have a Pidgey and an Aipom too," Rui replied. "All of them help my dad out a lot."

"What does your dad do?" asked Wes.

"He works as a tech engineer from our house. Over the computer. He's employed with Silph Company in Saffron City."

Wes frowned. "How do Pokémon help with that?"

Rui's smile faded at his question. "They don't help him with his job… they help him with everything else."

"What do you mean?"

"It's hard… for him to do a lot of things…" Rui tried to explain. "See… he's… paralyzed. From the waist down. He has to be in a wheelchair."

"Oh. I'm sorry…" Wes murmured.

"It's ok. It's not your fault," Rui whispered. "You didn't…"

"Didn't what?"

Rui looked up again, and shook her head. "Nothing." She looked back down at her plate. "Guess I'm finished. You?"

"Yeah. I already ate breakfast before this anyway," Wes explained, getting up and reaching inside his coat for his wallet. He counted out several bills and handed them to the waitress just approaching to clear the table. "The change is for you," he told her quietly, returning his wallet back into the depths of his overcoat and turning to leave, amidst wholehearted thanks from the grateful waitress.

Rui jumped up quickly, following Wes out the door of the restaurant. She shielded her eyes again the blinding brightness of the sun as she exited, breathing in deep the fresh air around her. "Wes… you didn't have to do that," she said.

"Do what?" he asked, turning back to her.

"Pay for the meal. I could have done that. Really."

Wes shrugged. "It was nothing," he said. Which was true. After all, most of the money in his wallet had been stolen from Gonzap right before his departure from Team Snagem…

"Thank you…" Rui blushed softly as she looked up at Wes, not knowing quite why. "You… I mean… We barely know each other, we just met today. And yet… I feel like I can trust you with anything." Then she giggled. "I hope that doesn't sound strange or anything."

"Not at all," Wes replied, glancing around the town square. "So… where should we go now?"

"I think… we should go talk to the mayor of this town. Do you think Phenac City has a mayor?"

"I don't know. Why?"

Rui frowned a little. "Because. Don't you think the mayor would want to know about criminals in his city?" she asked. "Maybe he can help."

"I guess," answered Wes, not really sure if that would be true or not. But then, he supposed Rui would know more about the lawful and good side of society than he would, anyway.

"I wonder where it is, though…" she murmured, looking around. "I guess we should ask someone, right? Let's go to the Pokémon Center over there, and ask where the mayor's house, or office, or whatever is." Rui began towards the building to the west of the city with its visible Pokéball sign overhead, then stopped after a few paces and grinned back at Wes. "Come on!" she insisted, grabbing his arm and tugging him after her.

Startled, Wes could only let himself be led through the streets towards the Pokémon Center by a very energetic Rui, amidst curious stares from passerby. He wasn't used to having such an open and bubbly friend such as her. Then again… Wes wasn't used to having friends, period. It was a strange feeling… Just like Rui said about him, Wes felt he could trust her with anything as well. And trust was something Wes did not give freely.

"Well, well, aren't we a good-looking couple?"

Rui and Wes both stopped and turned at a familiar voice. "Oh! Hi, Bryan!" Rui exclaimed, smiling at the teen.

"Hey Rui. Hey Wes," greeted Bryan. "How are you enjoying Phenac?"

"It's a very pretty city," Rui replied.

Bryan grinned. "I know it! So where are you headed?"

"The Pokémon Center. I guess we'll heal Wes's Pokémon…" Rui trailed off, glancing at Wes, who nodded in return. "…And then we'll go talk to the mayor."

"Mayor Es Cade? What for?" asked Bryan, scratching his head.

Rui giggled again. "To tell him about those kidnappers, of course!"

"Oh! Well, I would never have thought of that," Bryan said. "See… we're not used to getting criminals in Phenac… I guess we've forgotten how to react. So anyways, after stopping by the Pokémon Center, you'll want to head that way." He pointed past Wes and Rui in a northerly direction, to a set of stairs that led to more of Phenac City. "You'll run smack into the Pre Gym, a really cool place to learn about Pokémon and battling. To the left of it is a big house. That's the mayor's house."

"Thanks so much, Bryan!" Rui exclaimed. "You're such a big help. Thank you!"

Bryan laughed. "Hey, hey, no problem! Well, see ya later." He turned to go, and then added, "By the way… you two look really good together! I mean that!" And with that, he jogged off, his Castform right behind him.

Rui cocked her head. "What's that supposed to mean?" she asked, looking up at Wes. "And… how come your face is red?"

"Is it?" Wes asked, quickly turning away out of embarrassment. "Let's just… continue to the Pokémon Center."

"Right!" Rui smiled brightly again, and then mischievously gave Wes a small push. "Race you there!" she called, running ahead.

Wes stared after her for a moment. Then, slowly, a small smile of his own crossed his face, and he dashed after her, Rui's giggles ringing brightly through the air all around him.

And for the first time in a very long time… Wes felt genuinely happy.

"I'll choose first!" Cail exclaimed. "Go, Ralts! Go, Snubbull!" The rogue tossed out two Pokéballs before him, and his first two Pokémon appeared. One was a Ralts, a Psychic-type that could grow to become very close with its trainer. The other, a Snubbull, was a Normal-type that looked like a pink bulldog of sorts.

Alexander nodded. "Then I will choose. Go, my beauties!" With two flashes of light, a Persian and an Espeon appeared on the field. The Espeon, like all of its species, was a beautiful purple Psychic-type evolution of Eevee. But the Persian…

"Whoa! What's with that Persian!" gasped Cail. The sleek, delicately groomed evolved form of Meowth licked herself and meowed, her red jewel gleaming. By all respects, she was as lovely as any Persian, except for the fact that she had black fur instead of white fur.

"Isn't she gorgeous?" Alexander smiled.

Cail frowned. "Whatever. Ralts! Attack Persian with Confusion! Snubbull! Use Bite on Espeon!" he commanded.

Alexander lifted his eyes up to meet Cail's directly, and to Cail's surprise, every trace of carefree fancy and kindness was now gone. His azure eyes blazed with startling determination. "Persian! Use Slash on Ralts! Espeon! Attack Snubbull with Psybeam!" he cried, in a serious tone of voice quite unlike his former light and calm one.

The four Pokémon gave battle cries, and leaped to attack. Persian, with liquid speed and grace, got the first move, Slashing Ralts powerfully. Espeon then hit Snubbull with Psybeam. Ralts attacked Persian for moderate damage with its Psychic-type Confusion, while Snubbull Bit Espeon viciously.

"Nice job!" Cail congratulated, seeing that Espeon was reeling. "Same attacks, same targets!"

"The same form never works twice in a row; your opponent will easily find a way through your defenses," Alexander intoned softly, as if he were quoting someone. "Same targets. Persian, Shadow Ball; Espeon, Quick Attack!"

"Merroww!" With a cry, Persian charged up a ball of dark energy and fired it directly at Ralts. The small Psychic-type gave a weak cry and collapsed from the super-effective strike. Espeon, in the meantime, quickly dodged Snubbull's Bite and smashed into the Normal-type for a little damage.

Cail frowned. "Lucky break!" he growled, recalling Ralts into its Pokéball. "Try Machop on for size! Go!" The Fighting-type Machop now was on the field, pumping its fists and ready to go. "Ready?"

"And willing! Persian, attack Snubbull with your Bite!" commanded Alexander. "Espeon, go with Psybeam on Machop!"

"Tough break, pal! Machop! Use Protect! Snubbull, use your Shadow Ball on Espeon!" yelled Cail in response.

Espeon's jewel glowed brightly, and she fired Psybeam straight at Machop. But before the attack hit, Machop quickly formed a Protect barrier around itself, blocking the attack that otherwise would have knocked it out in one go. Persian bit Snubbull, but the dog-like Pokémon still was up for more, and blasted Espeon with a Shadow Ball attack of its own. Espeon cried out in pain, and collapsed.

"Espeon! Are you all right?" asked Alexander, going to his Psychic-type Pokémon and petting her fur tenderly. "Nice battle, my darling, now take a rest." Espeon was recalled. Alexander stood up again and faced Cail, taking a new Pokéball in hand. "So. You're not the average Joe after all. This is starting to get interesting. Let's see if you can handle… Milotic! Go!" He threw the Pokéball out, and the Water-type Milotic appeared with a serene cry, waving her colorful tail about as she coiled herself gracefully.

Cail smirked. "You're not so bad yourself. Machop! Use Cross Chop on Persian! Snubbull, use your Shadow Ball on Milotic!"

"Milotic! Attack Machop with Hydro Pump! Persian, attack Snubbull with Slash attack!" responded Alexander.

Persian, as usual, got the first attack in with Slash, succeeding in knocking out Snubbull before it could attack again. Milotic fired her Hydro Pump at Machop, but the nimble Fighting-type dodged it. It then delivered a powerful Cross Chop to Persian that succeeded in a critical hit, knocking out the Normal-type.

"Persian…" Alexander's face grew a bit sad; for out of his entire team, Persian was his favorite and most beloved Pokémon. But the expression didn't last long. "Good job, beautiful. Return."

"Nice fight, Snubbull, return!" Cail said, recalling his own Pokémon. "Well, it seems we're down to our last two, doesn't it?"

"Certainly does," Alexander replied, with an unpleasant smile. "Too bad you'll have to lose this battle, when I use this Pokémon." He held up his Pokéball for Cail to see.

Cail laughed. "Yeah? Well, this Pokémon is the strongest out of my whole team! It's unstoppable!" he boasted.

Something about Cail's expression bothered Alexander. Somehow, he could see that Cail wasn't making empty remarks... "Really. We'll see. Scyther, you're up!" he yelled, sending his Bug/Flying-type on the field.

"Furret! Let's win!" Cail cried, flinging his Pokéball forward.

Both Pokémon appeared at the same time; Scyther slashing the air before him in a show of strength, and Furret with a growl of determination. But… something was wrong…. Alexander couldn't put his finger on it, but his gut instinct was that something was wrong with Cail's Furret. But what?

"All right… This is it…" Alexander murmured, closing his eyes. "Milotic, use Twister! Scyther, get yourself ready with Swords Dance!"

"Scyther!" exclaimed the mantis-like Pokémon, immediately using his amazing speed to spin himself rapidly and charge up his attack strength. Milotic used her Twister, a Dragon-type attack that struck both opponents at once for marginal damage.

"Not bad," Cail smirked. "Machop, Karate Chop attack on Milotic! And Furret… hit that Scyther with Shadow Rush!"

"Shadow Rush?" Alexander repeated. What was Shadow Rush? That wasn't an attack! Or was it?

Machop quickly chopped at Milotic with its attack, but the Water-type recovered easily. But Alexander was only concerned with Furret. His eyes were on the Normal-type, watching for this Shadow Rush. But instead… Furret just began to growl, growl far more aggressively than Furrets were supposed to. And to his surprise… Alexander could swear that its eyes just turned red…

"Aw, man! Not Hyper Mode!" Cail groaned. Then he shrugged. "Oh well. That's fine!"

Hyper Mode? Shadow Rush? What the hell is he talking about? wondered Alexander. There is something terribly wrong here… That Furret isn't normal… Somehow, it seems almost… evil… But that can't be right… "Scyther, get rid of Machop with Wing Attack! Milotic, use Hydro Pump on Furret!" he commanded.

"Heh! You're toast! Same targets!" yelled Cail. "Machop, Low Kick! And Furret… Shadow Rush!"

Scyther flew at Machop in a blur of wings, striking the Fighting-type powerfully and knocking it out in one blow. Furret growled, and braced to attack. It backed up… and charged, an aura of fury seeming to radiate from around it as it did so. But instead of heading for Scyther…

…It went straight for Alexander, in a blur of brown fur.

Cail never forgot what happened next.

As fast as Furret was moving, Alexander moved even faster. Cail heard a metallic shing sound, and right as Furret struck, Alexander parried its charge with the flat side of his sword. Both cried out in pain and were sent backwards from the force of the blows. Furret fell to the ground, whimpering from smashing into Alexander's longsword with its head, while Alexander bit his lip and reeled a few paces, glancing at his left hand from where he had placed it behind the flat of his blade. Furret's charge had been so hard, it had driven the sword back into his bare palm somewhat, and thin trickles of blood now were running down his hand.

"Not him! His Scyther!" Cail cried, unsure of what to do now.

Alexander gritted his teeth in pain. It wasn't anything serious, really, but it still stung and hurt nonetheless. He licked the excess blood off his hand, and pointed with his sword at Cail. "This is getting out of hand," he stated. "Milotic, Scyther, finish Furret!"

With cries of fury, both of Alexander's Pokémon attacked. Scyther struck with a super-powered Slash, and then quickly flew out of the way as Milotic drenched Furret with her Hydro Pump. The two attacks were too much for Furret to take, and it fainted on the spot.

"Gah! Furret!" Cail groaned. "Man, that's it…" With a sigh, he recalled both his fainted Pokémon. The battle was over.

Alexander sighed in relief, and sheathed his sword. "That's that," he murmured, petting Scyther and Milotic as they came to him in concern. "Don't worry, you two, it's nothing," he soothed. "Thanks for the win, now take a rest." He recalled them back into their Pokéballs, and then looked up at his defeated opponent. "Now… you have a little explaining to do."

"Dude, I didn't mean for Furret to attack you, really," Cail insisted.

"I don't think you did," Alexander assured him. "I heard the command you gave it. But there was something odd about that Pokémon. What was it? And what are Hyper Mode and Shadow Rush?"

Cail sighed. "I guess you deserve to hear it," he grumbled. "All right, listen, I'm not going to repeat it twice. Furret is what they call a Shadow Pokémon. According to… sources… that means its heart has been sealed, making it a perfect battler."

"Its heart has been sealed?" repeated Alexander. "How?"

"I don't know," replied Cail. "But it makes them super-strong, and they get a move called Shadow Rush, which negates all type advantages or disadvantages. It can hurt any Pokémon equally, no matter what kind they are."

Alexander frowned. "So… what's this Hyper Mode?"

"Well… occasionally, Shadow Pokémon go into a frenzied state called Hyper Mode. It makes them even stronger, and Shadow Rush gets a higher crit rating. However… sometimes, the Pokémon doesn't listen when it's in Hyper Mode. Or, as you've already found out, might attack the opposing trainer instead."

"I see…"

"So like I said, sorry, dude," Cail said, with a shrug. "I wasn't aiming for you."

"Quite all right… But where did you get this Shadow Pokémon from?"

Cail grinned. "From the Pyrite Colosseum. Lately, they've been giving away Shadow Pokémon as prizes to the winners of the tournaments," he replied. "I think you should enter; no doubt you'd win one easily."

Alexander smiled weakly. "I'll consider it. So… you were going to tell me about Pyrite's… hotspots, is that it?"

"Oh yeah. Well, the Colosseum's one, and another's Duel Square. Hmm…" Cail paused, and suddenly lowered his voice. "But if you really want to get the 411 about the nitty-gritty of Pyrite's ins-and-outs, I'd consider getting a job with Miror B. He's the guy who's sponsoring giving away the Shadow Pokémon. Of course… that could be kinda risky, too."

"Who is Miror B.?" asked Alexander.

"He's a big-wig with Team Cipher… Team Snagem too, I guess, since they're working so closely together… Hey, what's wrong?"

At the names of Team Snagem and Cipher, Alexander's face had gone pale. "Team Snagem, you say?"

"Well… Team Cipher, more. I shouldn't be telling you this, but…" Cail lowered his voice even more, as if he were afraid to even hear it out loud. "Team Snagem's just been a cover for them. Team Cipher's starting to come out of hiding now, and it won't be long before they push Team Snagem aside entirely. …You seem like a tough guy, though. Maybe you could get somewhere with them."

"Team Cipher…" Alexander closed his eyes for a moment, leaving Cail to wonder what the heck was wrong here. Did this guy know them from somewhere…? His thoughts were startled, however, by Alexander's long, loud laugh.

"Heh… Team Cipher?" Alexander was saying to himself. "Damn bastard… thinks he could take all the credit and forget about me, does he? Well, he'll see soon enough…"

Cail fidgeted a little. "Excuse me…?" he prodded.

Alexander quickly snapped to attention. "Ah, forgive me. Thank you for the information… and the battle. That was the most engaging battle I've had in a while, in more ways than one…" He smiled, and gave a sweeping bow to Cail. "Good day." With that, he turned and continued on into the heart of Pyrite Town, leaving Cail alone with his thoughts.

At least… he thought he was alone.

"Cail, Cail, Cail… You lost. How could you lose? With Furret?"

Cail jumped, and turned around at the voice coming from somewhere behind him. Out of nowhere came a teenage girl of about 16-years old, a year younger than Cail. She had naturally dark-gray hair that came below her shoulder blades, with a silver streak on either side of her head. Her eyes were an odd silver color as well, with flecks of gold in them, and were slightly covered by smoke-colored tinted glasses. The girl wore a silver blouse with a high collar, and two long, streamer-like strips that hung off either shoulder and billowed behind her slightly in the dry breeze. Her boots, which came up to above her ankles, and her skirt, which ended above her knees, were silver as well. Around her hips were two belts; one which held her Pokéballs, and the other which held two pistols in holsters on each hip. The girl had a pretty face, but it was crossed with a disturbing, confident smirk that made you feel inferior before her.

"You lost, that disappoints me," she chided in a fake whine. "You're not supposed to let me down…"

Cail sighed, seeing who it was. "Sierra. Look, I'm sorry. But that guy had evolutionary advantages, plus Furret's stupid Hyper Mode messed things up…"

"Excuses, excuses," the girl quipped. Then, seeing Cail's crestfallen expression, she burst out into a stream of laughter; laughter that sounded like a cross between an innocent giggle and a malicious chuckle. "I'm only kidding!" she giggled. "That guy was tough, I'll give you that. But still… couldn't you have done my brother justice by at least getting an attack in with Furret?"

"I'm sorry…" he groaned. "Give me a break, will ya? I'll train my Pokémon harder, they'll evolve, and then I won't lose next time around. Ok?"

Sierra nodded. "Ok… By the way, who was that guy?"

"Called himself Alexander, I think."

She frowned. "Alexander, huh...? Interesting... Anyways, so how's Miror B. doing here?"

"Pretty good, has Duking scared stiff," Cail smirked. "And the police are totally blind, the idiots… Your brother needs to work harder, to keep up with the demand for those Shadow Pokémon."

"Don't tell me to make my brother work harder…" Sierra grumbled. "If Gonzap would just fill in his Pokémon quota the way he was supposed to, instead of trotting around on his high Rapidash like he was one of our leaders…"

Cail rolled his eyes. "We've been through this before, Sierra," he said. "I don't want to hear any more about how much you hate Gonzap…"

"Yeah… anyway, I guess I need to talk to Miror B. now. I'll be seeing you."

"Give Ein my regards, and hopefully he'll have someway of getting around that Hyper Mode thing next time you come around…"

"Just call its name, it'll snap out of it," she said in an unconcerned way. "I'll let Ein know you said hi…"

"Mm-hm. Oh, and Sierra?"

"Yes?"

"Think you'll ever get a chance to hang out with me again...?"

"Cail..." Sierra shook her head at the faux-sad expression on the young Rogue's face. "Don't look at me like that... I'm sorry... Things have been busy lately..."

"Sierra..." Cail frowned, and looked around absently. "I miss you..."

Sierra smiled, slowly heading towards the main part of Pyrite. "I know you do... I miss you too... I'm sorry. I rarely get any free time anymore. But when I do, trust me, it'll be spent with you." As she passed Cail, she quickly snuck in a peck upon his left cheek, making him smile some. "See ya later, Cail."

He nodded. "Later, Sierra," he replied, watching her go until she turned a corner and was out of sight.

Today certainly had been an interesting day for Cail...

Notes: Sierra Noviena is my own original character. Please do not use her without permission, or derive ideas from her for use in your own characters.